Floor vent

ABSTRACT

A floor vent for a ventilation opening has a vent body defined by a top flange and a skirt portion. The skirt portion depends from the bottom of the top flange. In use, the skirt portion is received within the ventilation opening with top flange engaging the floor. The vent body has fastener-receiving openings below the top flange. A grille moves between a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage and an open position in which the grille permits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings. At least one closure member selectively secures the grille in the closed position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates to a floor vent for a ventilation system, in particular afloor vent with improved safety.

BACKGROUND

In residential forced-air heating and cooling systems, floor vents, orfloor registers, are often used to cover the ends of the air ducts thatcarry the air from the heating/cooling equipment. A typical floor venthas a bottom skirt that is inserted into the end of the air duct or“duct boot”. Floor vent may be designed with different sizes and shapesto fit a particular forced-air system. Floor vents often allow for somecontrol over the size of the airflow through the register, such as byproviding an adjustable louver, or an adjustable grating. As floorregisters are on the floor, they are typically not installed withfasteners, as would be the case with vents or gratings on the ceiling orwalls.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,893 (Meredith) entitled “Vent device for use withmedium for altering a condition of air entering an environment”describes a multi-part floor register that may be pivoted open to accessa filter slot.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect, there is provided a floor vent for a ventilationopening formed in a floor. The floor vent may comprise a vent bodycomprising an air flow passage defined by a top flange and a skirtportion. The skirt portion depends from a bottom surface of the topflange, and the vent body is configured such that, in use, the skirtportion is received within the ventilation opening with a bottom surfaceof top flange engaging a top surface of the floor. The vent body mayfurther comprise one or more fastener-receiving openings below the topflange. There is a grille having a closed position in which the grilleengages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage. The grille maybe selectively releasable from the closed position to move to an openposition, wherein, in the open position, the grille permits access tothe one or more fastener-receiving openings of the skirt portion throughthe top flange, and in the closed position, the grille obstructs the airflow passage and limits access to the one or more fastener-receivingopenings through the top flange. At least one closure member mayselectively secure the grille in the closed position. One or morefasteners are provided that are sized to be received within the one ormore fastener-receiving openings, the one or more fasteners beingconfigured to engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening belowthe top surface of the floor.

According to other aspects, the floor vent may further comprise one ormore of the following features, alone or in combination: the grille mayfurther comprise an adjustable flow control insert to adjust an airflowarea through the air flow passage; the at least one closure member maybe engaged when the grille is moved to the closed position; the grillemay be pivotally attached to the top flange; the grille may be supportedby the top flange in the closed position; the one or morefastener-receiving openings may comprise one or more vertically orientedslot formed in the skirt portion; the fasteners may be screws that areadapted to secure the skirt portion to a subfloor of a building.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method of installing a floorvent into a ventilation opening formed in a floor, the method comprisingthe steps of: providing a floor vent as described above; inserting theskirt portion into the ventilation opening such that the bottom surfaceof the top flange rests on the floor; with the grille in an openposition, installing fasteners that extend through one or more fastenerreceiving openings in the skirt portion and engage a surrounding wall ofthe ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor; moving thegrille from the open position to the closed position; and securing thegrille in the closed position using the at least one closure members.

In other aspects, the features described above may be combined togetherin any reasonable combination as will be recognized by those skilled inthe art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the followingdescription in which reference is made to the appended drawings, thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intendedto be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor vent.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an opened floor vent with a flow controlinsert removed.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the opened floor vent of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the opened floor vent with the flowcontrol insert.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view of the opened floor vent of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in section of the floor vent installedin a ventilation opening.

FIG. 7 is an end elevation view in section of the floor vent installedin a ventilation opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A floor vent, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 1 through 7. Floor vent 10 is intendedto be used to cover a ventilation opening 100 formed in the floor 102 ofa building. Floor vent 10 is preferably used to cover a ventilationopening that is not easily removed, such as in an area where childrenmay be around ventilation opening 100. As floor vent 10 is designed tobe more difficult to be removed, such as by a child, there is a reducedrisk that the child may uncover ventilation opening 100 and create ahazard for the child or others or allow objects to fall into the ductingand require costly cleaning or maintenance. For example, an exposedventilation opening may present risks such as sharp edges of flooring,sheet metal or exposed screws, a falling hazard, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, floor vent 10 has a vent body 12 with anairflow passage 14 therethrough. Airflow passage 14 is defined by asurrounding top flange 16 and skirt portion 24. Skirt portion 24 dependsfrom a bottom surface 18 of top flange 16 and is configured such that,when vent body 12 is installed in a ventilation opening, skirt portion24 is received within ventilation opening 100, and bottom surface 18 oftop flange 16 engages a top surface 104 of floor 102 as shown in FIGS. 6and 7. It will be understood that bottom surface 18 may be an extendedplane of contact, or a smaller portion of flange 16 that is in contactwith top surface 104. When installed, airflow passage 14 establishes thepathway for air to flow between ventilation opening 100 and the occupiedspace.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, floor vent 10 may have a rectangularshape, which corresponds to the rectangular shape of a typicalventilation opening found in residential buildings. Floor vent 10 maytake any size or shape such as square, oval, etc. required to beinstalled in a given ventilation opening 100. Vent body 12 may be madefrom plastic or from metal sheet, as is known in the art. Top flange 16and skirt portion 24 may be formed as a unitary body, or may be madefrom multiple pieces that are assembled to form vent body 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, vent body 12 defines one or more fastener-receivingopenings 28 below bottom surface 18 of top flange 16, such as verticallyoriented slots 28 in skirt portion 24, as depicted. Referring to FIGS. 6and 7, fastener-receiving openings 28 are designed to receive one ormore fasteners 30, such as screws or nails, that secure floor vent 10 inan installed position within ventilation opening 100 by engagingventilation opening 100 below the top surface 104 of floor 102. In thedepicted example, fasteners 30 extend through fastener-receivingopenings 28 and engage the subfloor 108, although it will be understoodthat fasteners 30 may engage any suitable structure, such as a duct. Theshape of openings 28 as vertically-oriented slots allows the user toselect an appropriate position, depending on the thickness of theflooring, which may vary such as is the case with hardwood flooring orcarpet relative to vinyl or linoleum flooring. Fasteners 30, whenreceived in fastener-receiving openings 28 and properly installed,prevent floor vent 10 from being removed from ventilation opening 100.

An open position of floor vent 10 is shown in FIG. 2, which allowsaccess to fastener-receiving opening 28 in order to install or removefasteners 30, and also allows access below floor vent 10, such as toclean ducting, without having to remove fasteners 30 and floor vent 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, floor vent 10 is shown in a closed position with agrille 40 that traverses airflow passage 14 and is supported by ventbody 12. Grille 40 is selectively releasable from the closed positionand, upon being released from the closed position is movable to an openposition shown in FIG. 2. As shown, grille 40 is pivotally attached tovent body 12 such that it pivots between the open and closed positions.Grille 40 may also be pivotally attached at an end, rather than along aside, or may be selectively removable, such as by being attached byclips on either side or at either end, in which case the open positionwould be achieved by removing grille 40. When grille 40 is in the openposition, it permits access to the one or more fastener-receivingopenings 28 of skirt portion 24 through top flange 16, and when grille40 is in the closed position, grille 40 limits access to one or morefasteners 30 received by fastener-receiving openings 28 through topflange 16.

As the purpose of floor vents 10 is to cover a ventilation opening whilepermitting air to flow, grille 40 is provided with apertures 42 thatallow air to pass through floor vent 10. As shown, apertures are aplurality of substantially parallel slots, but may be any suitable shapeor design. Floor vent 10 may also allow for some control over the flowof air through grille 40 by providing an adjustable flow control device.Two common ways of doing this in floor vents 10 is to provide a louverbelow grille 40 that is adjustable using a lever or other actuator, orby providing a sliding panel with strips of material that correspond tothe openings in grille 40 such that, as the sliding panel moves, theapertures may be blocked or opened to a desired degree. In the exampledepicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, a sliding panel 44 is inserted below grille40 that is movable relative to grille 40 to adjust the airflow areathrough grille 40. Referring to FIG. 2, sliding panel 44 may be placedon ledges 32 that may be immediately within top flange 16, or may beinstalled by clipping into resilient clips 34 that may be carried on thebottom surface of grille 40, in which case ledges 32 may be used tostabilize sliding panel 44 and/or grille 40 in the closed position.Adjustable flow control insert 44 may be another type of flow controlinsert that is known in the art. As shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable flowcontrol insert 44 may reside underneath grille 40, and have a tab 46that extends through grille 40 to allow for setting the airflow areawhile grille 40 is in the closed position.

Referring again to FIG. 1, grille 40 may be selectively secured in theclosed position by at least one closure member 48. As shown, closuremember 48 may be a resilient clip which closes and secures grille 40when grille 40 is moved to the closed position. Other types of closuremembers may also be used, such as a rotating cam lock, pin connector,etc. Closure member 48 holds grille 40 in the closed position untilreleased at which point grille 40 may be moved to the open position.Preferably, closure members 48 are configured such that grille 40 canonly be released from the closed position by a user with superior handcoordination and finger dexterity or strength, or with a suitable tool.This may prevent a child from gaining access to ventilation opening 100,while also allowing for access to ventilation opening 100 when regularcleaning or maintenance is needed.

An example of a method that may be used to install floor vent 10 asdescribed above will now be described. The method may be varieddepending on the particular configuration of floor vent 10.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, skirt portion 24 of vent body 12 is insertedinto ventilation opening such that bottom surface 18 of top flange 16engages top surface 104 of flooring 102. With grille 40 in the openposition, one or more fasteners 30 are inserted throughfastener-receiving openings 28 and engaged to surrounding wall 106 ofventilation opening 100 to secure floor vent 10 to ventilation opening100. If present, adjustable flow control insert 44 is installed, such asby attaching it to clips 34 carried by grille 40. Grille 40 is thenmoved from the open position to the closed position and secured byclosure members 42. For closure members 42 that are similar to thedepicted resilient clips, grille 40 may need to be pressed into theclips in order to ensure engagement.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in itsnon-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included,but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to anelement by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibilitythat more than one of the elements is present, unless the contextclearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferredembodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, butshould be given the broadest interpretation consistent with thedescription as a whole.

What is claimed is:
 1. A floor vent for a ventilation opening formed ina floor, the floor vent comprising: a vent body comprising an air flowpassage defined by a top flange and a skirt portion, the skirt portiondepending from a bottom surface of the top flange, the vent body beingconfigured such that, in use, the skirt portion is received within theventilation opening with a bottom surface of top flange engaging a topsurface of the floor, the vent body further comprising one or morefastener-receiving openings below the top flange; a grille having aclosed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traversesthe air flow passage, the grille being selectively releasable from theclosed position to move to an open position, wherein, in the openposition, the grille permits access to the one or morefastener-receiving openings of the skirt portion through the top flange,and in the closed position, the grille obstructs the air flow passageand limits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings throughthe top flange; at least one closure member that selectively secures thegrille in the closed position; and one or more fasteners that are sizedto be received within the one or more fastener-receiving openings, theone or more fasteners being configured to engage a surrounding wall ofthe ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor.
 2. The floorvent of claim 1, wherein the grille further comprises an adjustable flowcontrol insert to adjust an airflow area through the air flow passage.3. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the at least one closure member isengaged when the grille is moved to the closed position.
 4. The floorvent of claim 1, wherein the grille is pivotally attached to the topflange.
 5. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the grille is supported bythe top flange in the closed position.
 6. The floor vent of claim 1,wherein the one or more fastener-receiving openings comprise one or morevertically oriented slot formed in the skirt portion.
 7. The floor ventof claim 1, wherein the fasteners are screws that are adapted to securethe skirt portion to a subfloor of a building.
 8. A method of installinga floor vent into a ventilation opening formed in a floor, the methodcomprising the steps of: providing a floor vent comprising: a vent bodycomprising an air flow passage surrounded by a top flange and a skirtportion that depends from a bottom surface of the top flange; a grillehaving a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body andtraverses the air flow passage, the grille being selectively releasablefrom the closed position and, upon being released is movable to an openposition; at least one closure member that selectively secures thegrille in the closed position; inserting the skirt portion into theventilation opening such that the bottom surface of the top flange restson the floor; with the grille in an open position, installing fastenersthat extend through one or more fastener receiving openings in the skirtportion and engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening belowthe top surface of the floor; moving the grille from the open positionto the closed position; and securing the grille in the closed positionusing the at least one closure members.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the grille further comprises an adjustable flow control insertto adjust an airflow area through the airflow passage.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the at least one closure member is engaged when thegrille is moved to the closed position.
 11. The method of claim 8,wherein the grille is pivotally attached to the top flange.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the grille is supported by the top flange inthe closed position.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or morefastener-receiving openings comprise one or more vertically orientedslot formed in the skirt portion.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe fasteners are screws that secure the skirt portion to a subfloor ofthe building.